Illicit
by thepiratewitch
Summary: Phoenix, Arizona. Emma Swan is 17, pregnant, and incarcerated for possession of stolen watches. Enter Regina Mills, a defense attorney who wants to help Emma get out early-but can Emma let go of the past and step into a future she never imagined? Swan Queen AU. Rated M for mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

These chairs were seriously uncomfortable. Add to that her morning sickness, and Emma Swan was beyond ready to leave. At least in her jail cell she could lie down.

She still had no idea why she had been brought to this conference room. She had been the definition of good behavior these past two months.

"Miss Swan?" a female voice interrupted Emma's thoughts.

Emma fought to stifle a gasp when she met the visitor's eyes. They were a startlingly beautiful chocolate brown, set in a heart-shaped face. Hair just as dark settled atop the woman's shoulders. She was slender and sleek-looking in a black blazer and slacks.

The woman tilted her head with a slight smile, as if waiting for a response.

"Oh. Um. Hi?" Emma finally managed to mumble a few words.

"My name is Regina Mills. I'm here to talk to you about your case," the woman explained as she sat down across from Emma.

"My case?" Emma repeated, confused. "I don't have one. It was already decided, obviously- that's why I'm here."

Regina smiled. "Ahh, but that's the thing. I don't think you deserve to be in here. I've decided to take you on as my client."

Emma leaned forward. "I'm not sure I completely understand, Mrs. Mills."

"It's Miss, actually. And you may call me Regina," the lawyer said.

Regina paused for a moment, folding her hands in her lap. "If I'm not mistaken, you are carrying a child, Miss Swan."

"Emma," the blonde responded. "And no, you're not mistaken."

Regina nodded. "And this fact wasn't mentioned in your trial."

"No," Emma said as she shook her head. "I didn't even know for sure. And anyway, it was about the stolen watches."

A look of satisfaction danced across the brunette's face. "I think this will work. All you'll have to do is testify against that Cassidy man and—"

"Wait a minute," Emma interrupted. "I don't want to do that."

Regina stopped, her brows furrowing as she took in what this young woman had said. "I don't think you understand, Emma. Under Arizona law, your pregnancy is the result of sexual assault. After that is brought to light and Mr. Cassidy is brought in, I can get your decision reversed. Cassidy will go to jail for the original theft, and for your rape. You'll be allowed to start your life again, with your child."

"He didn't rape me," Emma said forcefully.

Regina bit her lip, a sad knowing in her eyes. "It's common for victims—"

"I'm not a victim!" Emma's voice rose. "I made my choice. I love him, and he loves me."

"Then why would he let you take the fall for this? No matter what you said, Miss Swan, the law states you are not old enough to legally give consent. He was older; he should have known better than to become involved with a minor."

Emma's jaw clenched, her eyes welling up with tears. "I can't do it."

Regina sighed. "Please, Emma, think about it. I want to help you."

Emma scoffed. "Why? You don't even know me."

"You're not the only one to go through a situation like this, Emma. Remember that," Regina said as she stood up and began gathering her things.

She got halfway to the door before turning back and facing the seventeen year old. Emma was a beautiful young woman, no doubt about it. It was no wonder Neal Cassidy had made a move on her; Regina herself was almost bewitched by the hazel eyes that seemed older than her years.

Regina's throat tightened. She was a lawyer, for heaven's sake. Had she not just been discussing with Emma how wrong this Cassidy fellow had been for having a relationship with her? A wave of guilt ran through her.

"Look, Emma. I just want what's best for you, and for your unborn baby. Promise me you'll think about it?" Regina said finally.

Emma looked down at her lap, then back up at the dark-haired woman who had, within the span of half an hour, managed to send her on a rollercoaster of emotions.

"I'll think about it," she said softly.

Regina nodded gratefully. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here's my card."

She stepped back over to the table, grabbed a pen out of her purse, and scribbled down a set of numbers on the back of it. "This is my cell. If you need to get up with me for any reason after my office hours, call that number."

As Emma reached to take the card, their hands met briefly. Regina inhaled sharply at the electricity that seemed to pass between the two.

"Regina—" Emma started when the older woman jerked her hand back.

"Good day, Miss Swan," Regina said abruptly as she quickly turned and walked out of the room.

Emma sat back, stunned. She had always fought against the idea that she was anything but straight—after all, being an orphan was enough of an oddity-but she couldn't deny the chemistry she felt with this woman who wanted to be her counsel.

Her hand felt like it was on fire where Regina's skin had met hers. No one had ever managed to leave her so flustered, not even Neal.

Neal. Could she do it? Could she testify against the father of her child, the man who promised her he loved her?

She thought back to the day they met. Emma had recently ditched the foster home for good, and was desperate to find a way out of Portland, Oregon. She had been in the process of stealing a yellow Bug when Neal Cassidy had popped up from the backseat.

After a narrow escape from the law and the discovery that Neal himself had first stolen the car, Emma recklessly followed him into a life of constant travel and crime. She had been drawn to him from the beginning; it felt wonderful to let go with such abandon. The first time he'd kissed her, she fell for him.

She knew he was older, more experienced. That just added to the thrill of discovering what it meant to love a man. She would have done anything for Neal, including retrieving watches he'd stolen so they could run off to Canada together.

Emma trembled, remembering her arrest. The blinding lights, the cold steel of the handcuffs—and the despair that threatened to swallow her whole when she realized that he wasn't coming for her. She was alone.

No, not alone. Not anymore. She absentmindedly rubbed her belly. It was hard to believe there was a little human growing inside of her.

A rush of protectiveness took Emma by surprise. Maybe—just maybe—Regina was right. She could get out of here, start a new life with her baby. Maybe even fall in love again, someday.

All it would take was one phone call.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rough day?" Leroy, the bartender at Regina's usual haunt, asked sympathetically as she downed her third shot of scotch.

"You don't know the half of it," Regina muttered as she slid her glass over for another round.

Leroy nodded. "You wanna talk about it, sister?"

Regina sighed. Thinking about the emotional conversation with Emma left her feeling even more drained. Still, it might be good to get her feelings off her chest.

"I heard about this girl, a minor. She's serving time right now, and she's pregnant," she began explaining. "I met with her today to try and convince her to press charges against the father and get her own sentence reduced."

"And what did she say?" Leroy asked.

"That she was not a victim, he loved her and she loved him. What you'd usually expect from someone so young and desperate for love."

Leroy waited patiently, knowing that something else was really bothering his favorite customer.

"Her hand touched mine, Leroy," Regina said slowly. "And I thought my hair was going to fry."

The bartender raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you say this was a kid?"

Regina let out a sigh of exasperation. "Yes. Which is why I hurried out of there, and why I'm kind of hoping she doesn't call and formally ask me to take her case. I'm so stupid, Leroy. Here I am, telling her that this man who fathered her child was too old, that he was taking advantage of her. That she was raped. That seventeen is too young to decide whether or not you can be in a relationship with a legal adult. I'm a lawyer, for God's sake. I know the rules better than anyone. And yet I can't deny I felt some sort of chemistry with her."

"That's some situation you got yourself into, Miss Mills," Leroy chuckled before turning serious. "Look, Regina. I've known you since you were an undergrad. I know you'd never do anything to intentionally hurt anyone, especially this girl. You said she's pregnant; bless her heart, she's gotta be dealing with some issues internally. It's up to you to be the adult here. Be her friend, her lawyer, whatever she needs right now. And who knows, maybe when she's eighteen and had the baby and gotten herself on her own two feet again she'll be ready for a relationship. Give it time, and be careful with yourself."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Regina gave him a half-smile as she cracked open a peanut from dish on the counter.

Leroy laughed as he slid her her glass. "Tell ya what, this round's on me."

Regina quickly swallowed before slowly setting her glass down on the table, a realization dawning on her face. "I don't even know if she's gay."

"Jesus Christ, woman," Leroy shook his head, shoulders shaking from his guffawing.

"I think you'd be a fool not to take her offer," Dr. Archibald Hopper, the prison shrink, said bluntly.

Emma sighed. "You're probably right."

"You seem disappointed by that fact, Emma. Do you want to talk about the reason that may be?" he asked gently.

The blonde shrugged indifferently.

"You know, Emma, talking about your feelings is a good way to start making sense of them. I think you have a lot of feelings bottled up inside you. Wouldn't you like to get rid of that burden?"

Emma's defenses rose. "The only thing inside me is a fucking baby, and I don't even know how to take care of it or if I even want it to start with. But it's my business, so you can just take your psychobabble bullshit and shove it up your ass."

Dr. Hopper folded his hands in his lap and waited calmly to see if her outburst was over. "Emma, I want to help you."

"That's a lie," Emma whispered. "No one has ever wanted to help me. They were all in it for themselves."

"I think you're in an extreme state of distress right now, and you don't know how to handle it. I can help you with that, but you have to talk to me," insisted Dr. Hopper.

Emma slumped forward, exhaustion written all over her face. "It's too much."

"What is?"

"Everything. The baby, Neal, this lawyer woman." At the thought of her, Emma's hand trembled slightly as she remembered the sensation of Regina's skin on hers.

"What about the lawyer is too much?" Dr. Hopper asked.

Emma paused. It probably wasn't a good idea to admit to the shrink that she had a crush on an older woman who was possibly going to be representing her. "It's just her whole offer. Neal was my everything, and now she wants me to testify against him. It's a lot to think about, especially with a baby in the mix."

"Yes, having a baby indeed does make things a bit more complicated. The first thing you really need to decide is—are you keeping the child?"

Emma swallowed as she unconsciously brought a hand to her stomach. "I don't know. I mean, I want to. I think. Somehow."

"There are ways for young single mothers to get by. It won't be easy, but it's definitely possible. Now that you've decided that, you have to think about what's best for you and your child. From my understanding, Miss Mills is hoping to get you out before your due date in exchange for testifying against the father, is that right?"

Emma nodded.

"Is that something you're willing to do, Emma?" he asked.

"I loved him," was all Emma could say, tears forming and threatening to spill over. She paused, attempting to regain her composure. "I thought he loved me. And he just left me here."

"Love is a tricky thing, Emma," Dr. Hopper said solemnly. "The question is, are you going to let the past keep you from starting your future?"

He stopped, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "I do believe we're out of time. I'll see you next week, Emma. Please do think about all the things we've discussed."

Emma gave him a half-smile as she readied to leave. "I think, Dr. Hopper, that I need to make a phone call."


End file.
